A couple of years ago, I chose a slightly ambitious project – I would take a cinematic road trip through the United States, choosing a single film from each of the fifty states (as well as Washington D.C.) that was either entirely or prominently set within that particular part of the country, to get a…
Category: Horror
Nosferatu (2024)
As far as horror goes, we have never had any shortage of films about vampires, which stretch right to the dawn of the silent era (where the term “vampire” wasn’t even widely used in the same way it is now), and extend to the modern day, where filmmakers attempt to establish their own voices within…
Heretic (2024)
It is generally considered an unspoken rule of polite society that one should steer away from discussing politics and religion, especially with those who you don’t know since it can run the risk of offending the beliefs of others. However, both are subjects that are not only topics of conversation in just about every situation,…
The Front Room (2024)
There is no greater gift than motherhood, for both the parent and children – having someone to care for you and nurture you as you age (whether biological or adopted or simply motherly figures that guide your life) can stand someone in good stead as they make their way through life. However, there is a…
Dracula (1931)
When it comes to horror, few directors are more influential than Tod Browning, who single-handedly helped change the course of the genre for good, with his unique vision and precise style of storytelling being the foundation of many extraordinary works. Perhaps his most well-known film outside of his iconic Freaks (which remains one of the…
Cuckoo (2024)
All is not what it seems to be in the Bavarian Alps – at least that’s what the protagonist of Cuckoo, the most recent film by Tilman Singer, begins to realise as she travels with her family to this remote corner of Europe, where they will be taking up residence as her parents start working…
The Comedy of Terrors (1964)
The blurring of comedy and horror is not always an easy process, but it is one that has yielded some of the most brilliant and provocative works in the history of cinema. It takes quite a special writer and director to combine two wildly different emotions – laughter and fear – and create an atmosphere…
The Fly (1958)
There comes a moment in every film lover’s life when they put away the prestige work and stop pretending that the only true cinematic giants were those consolidated into the mainstream through high-quality filmmaking, and instead start to realise that the industry is as much built on these works of artistic integrity as it is…
The Deliverance (2024)
Over the course of a career (which is close to going on a quarter of a century now), Lee Daniels has been something of a polarizing figure as far as filmmakers tend to go. Some view him as a genuinely gifted, original voice that aims to elevate stories of marginalized communities and the people who…
Friday the 13th (1980)
As a sub-genre of horror, the slasher film has had quite a storied history. Much like film noir and screwball comedy, it has been the subject of a lot of debate, both around the specific criteria that go into the creation of a particular film, and when it first started. By the time Sean S….
The Postmodern Pelican 